Football Edged by Lebanon Valley 31-30

NNVILLE, Pa. (October 12, 2019) - The FDU football team dropped a 31-30 contest on Saturday against Middle Atlantic Conference opponent Lebanon Valley.

The Devils go to 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the MAC. Lebanon Valley moves to 2-3 and 1-2 in conference games.

The Dutchmen struck first, as they capped off a 73-yard drive with a touchdown. Lebanon Valley opened the second quarter with another scoring drive to take the 14-0 lead. LVC continued to add to their lead, as they scored 10 more unanswered points in the second quarter, to take the 24-0 lead.

Junior Alnazir Blackman began the Devils drive with a 22-yard burst of a run. Two plays later, it was Blackman again. This time, the junior totaled a 26-yard run to move the Devils into the Dutchmen side of the field. Facing second down and ten, junior Anthony Caserta completed a pass to classmate Rory Sullivan, for a 23-yard connection. Yards away from the endzone, Caserta flipped the ball to senior running back Robert Blakely, who then passed to senior Benjamin Calderon for the touchdown. Senior Nick Maciejewski nailed the extra point, to shorten the deficit, 24-7.

The Devils opened the third quarter with the ball in their possession. On the first drive of the quarter, the Devils executed on 13 plays for the 66-yard touchdown drive. Caserta gave the Devils the first down, with a 10-yard completion to sophomore Connor Perez. Two plays later, Caserta found senior Damarquis Price for another first down conversion. Now into LVC territory, Caserta connected to senior Khrystan Camillo for a 22-yard pass. Currently standing at third down and long, Caserta rushed for 10 yards to move the Devils into field goal range. Maciejewski came on for the 25-yard field goal attempt and was successful.

With the added points, the Devils lowered the deficit to 24-10. The ensuing possession, Lebanon Valley tacked on seven more points to extend their lead to 31-10. With time ticking away in the third quarter, and the devils facing third down, the FDU offense would execute. At their own 16-yard line, Caserta found Perez, who broke past the defense for an 84-yard touchdown. Maciejewski's attempt was good, and the Devils now trailed by a score of 31-17.

Following a missed field goal by the Dutchmen, the Devils gained possession. The Devils used a few early plays to move into Lebanon Valley territory. Then, Blackman ran for a 15-yard gain to put the Devils at the LVC 27-yard line. After a four-yard completion to Sullivan, Caserta found Price for the 23-yard touchdown pass. Maciejewski came on for the extra point and converted, moving the Devils within a touchdown.

Following a short LVC possession, the Devils got the ball back. Caserta strung up four-consecutive passes to open up the drive, as he found freshman Jevaughn Thomas II for a nine-yard gain, Perez for another nine-yard completion, Camillo for a 22-yard connection, and then Perez again for a 12-yard pass. After a few plays to get the Devils closer to the endzone, Caserta found Price for a 17-yard pass to put the Devils at the LVC one-yard line. On the next play, Blackman ran into the endzone to put the Devils down 31-30.

Following a missed conversion, Lebanon Valley got the ball back. Both teams would not score for the remainder of the contest, helping the Dutchmen secure the win.